EraseUs
by RebbieChan
Summary: AU. When Roy and Riza's newest mission involves assassinating a small boy, a choice has to be made. Royai.


**Erase/Us**

"He's heading down Section Three of the far quadrant," Riza spoke quickly as she followed a red blip on her scouter, "Scratch that, he turned down 293."

"Got it." Roy's voice sounded over her earpiece.

Riza flipped a switch on her scouter, zooming in on Roy. At this time of night, the city was lit up by hundreds of neon signs and apartment lights. Rails swerved between and through skyscrapers and buildings. Occasionally a tram would shoot past, illuminating the multiple street levels that created a complicated web throughout the city. From her post halfway up the main power line tower, she spotted him riding on top of a tram car. His dark hair blew around his face as he stood calmly, waiting until he came to the right spot.

Just by seeing him, anyone would know what he was. The way he held himself, rigid like a soldier. The ease in his movements, his attire, everything spoke of his origin.

He was the elite, the strong, the merciless. Roy was an Eraser. His job involved the assassination of his own if they proved to be undesirable by the man on top.

Supposedly, he was not supposed to exist. Erasers were a creation of paranoia, but everyone knew the truth.

Erasers went unseen. Riza's job saw to that. She held the title of Supporter. Her job involved making sure Roy was well protected as well as informed about assignments. At the moment she had set up an invisibility shield around him and was keeping watch.

"Target sighted," Roy muttered. At the same time he stepped off the roof of the tram. He shot down past three levels of roadway before lightly landing just outside the mouth of an alley. His black cloak pooled around him as he kneeled, scanning the entrance. A few yellow lights from hundred year old street lamps and the occasional blue flash of a passing tram lit the surrounding area. Roy flicked on his scouter, the screen flicking on and glowing green. "Low visibility."

"I'm clear," Riza responded.

Roy raised himself to full height, a lean figure of foreboding death. The only thing that separated his silhouette from that of a Grim Reaper was the large metal device protruding out of his shoulder. Two tubes ran between the device and another that wrapped around his right wrist like an oversized bracelet.

"Three is…?"

"The second left."

Roy took off, dark boots hitting the pavement. At the second left, he careened around the corner and caught sight of the man he was after.

Riza raised her left arm and jabbed at the small keyboard embedded into a device similar to the one on Roy's wrist. "You're visible."

"Doctor Shou Tucker," Roy addressed the man, his voice stopping him in his tracks.

The doctor turned to get a look at him, knowing what was about to happen. His clothes were tattered and covered in blood, practically in rags. His glasses sat at an awkward angle on his nose, his eyes were wide and bloodshot. The corner of his mouth twitched in a smile.

"For the crimes of the mutilation of your wife and your daughter, your position and license has been revoked." Roy had seen what the man had done firsthand. "Your service is no longer needed in the Amestris State Science Division." He would enjoy this.

"Goodbye."

In one swift movement Roy pressed down on the bracelet, opening up a panel of buttons, and typed in a code. Seven holes opened up on the bracelet's rim. He pulled back as if he were going to throw a punch, a light growing in the holes. He thrust his fist forward, fire jetting out of the holes and engulfed the man.

Roy watched as the man crumpled to the ground in a pile of ash. The Doctor never moved once.

* * *

><p>"Make sure you have him go through all the files," General Grummann instructed, handing Riza a stack of papers.<p>

Riza took them in one hand and saluted with the other. "Will do, Sir!" With that, she turned on her heel and exited the office.

Her presence owned the corridors that she walked down. Clad in a long white cloak, white leather boots, plain black stealth trousers and shirt, white kidney-shaped scouter attached to her right ear, and the staple Supporter emblem armband attached to her left arm, she was all business. The duty of Supporters was shrouded in mystery as the existence of Erasers were known only by Generals, Supporters, the Fuhrer, and other Erasers.

Supporters were the mysterious elite. They were so scarce and rarely lasted long. Most Erasers got new Supporters every year or so, Roy had kept Riza by his side since the beginning. Since it was so rare that a Supporter would stick around for very long it was generally accepted that Riza Hawkeye was the best.

Naturally, there was a lot of gossip about her. What people most talked about was the mysterious man that she could often be seen with. He was not of the military as far as any of the speculators knew.

Roy Mustang, all they knew was his name and his appearance.

Once again, Riza was spotted going from General Grummann's office to the front gates and meeting Roy there in the middle of the workday.

With all the wit and cleverness of Central's esteemed military staff, the only conclusions were that he was either her lover or an Eraser.

"Roy," Riza greeted him at the front gates.

The only difference in their attire other than the device on his shoulder and her armband was that his cloak, boots, and scouter were black. Riza rolled her eyes as she heard the whispers start up again, it should be obvious.

"What plans do we have for tonight?" Roy asked, wrapping his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip. He smiled, leaning so that his forehead touched hers.

"Don't get excited," Riza muttered, practically ignoring him. "I have a lot of paperwork to cover."

Roy feigned a pout. "Then we'll have to hurry home so you can finish it!" He released his hold on her but kept a soft grip on her free hand.

It would only take an hour tops to finish the files. Roy knew what that really meant.

The funny thing about the two rumors, was that they were both right.

* * *

><p>Within the second that they came in the door, Roy's hands were on her. Papers flew from her arms, drifting down to scatter all over the floor of their dark apartment. In a flurry of motion Riza found herself backed against the edge of the table. Her hands clutched the back of Roy's neck. She kissed him, quick and furiously.<p>

Who knew when the fairytale would end?

Roy jerked her legs around his waist, pushing her onto the table. It creaked and gave as if it was about to break, but stayed firm. He leaned forward, kissing her neck.

Who knew when they would be torn apart?

Riza moaned, letting her back hit the wooden surface.

They could never be more.

Roy looked into her eyes for a moment.

They could never be a family.

Riza looked into his.

They would never be more than murderers.

From the corner of Riza's right eye came a bight red light, flashing and covering her vision with the glowing red screen of her scouter. The glowing green light of Roy's scouter's screen flashed over his left eye.

"Goddamn!" Roy cursed, standing up and stumbling away from her, covering his left eye. "Are they trying to blind me?"

Riza sat up calmly, hitting a button on the side of the device to display the message. Words scrolled across the screen. _'Erase/Scar_Details: Rouge Eraser Scar has been sighted in your area. Proceed with the elimination process carefully.'_

Riza sighed, "sorry Roy, the mission comes first."

"Yeah, yeah," Roy muttered, rubbing his temples. He feigned a smile and a laugh, "because I'd just love to have Scar come kill us while we're in here making time."

Riza smiled at the humorous thought. She straightened her jacket and started to the door, flipping through screens. "I can't get a trace on him."

Roy followed. "He's probably on the first level, I know he likes to crawl around down there-" Riza opened the door to the apartment, the sight before them cutting him off.

Instead of stepping out into a hallway of other apartments they saw the rest of the city spread out below them. It looked like someone had cut into the face of the building, just outside their door.

"They could've warned us that he was this close!" Roy exclaimed. Her turned to the device on his arm and furiously typed in a command. Riza scanned the sky with a heat sensor as she typed in a command of her own. "Remind me the next time we see Fullmetal to have him make free-form connecting less painful," Roy muttered through gritted teeth as needles protruded from both the shoulder and wrist pieces. The spider-like needles bore into his skin, disappearing inside of his arm, chest and back.

Riza winced as similar needles folded out of her bracelet and dug their way into her arm. "I'm not picking him up at all, he must be have a stealth barrier." She flipped her scouter to another screen and spotted a dark speck growing larger near the edge of a building three blocks away. Zooming in, she could make out the man she was looking for. He stood on top of a chunk of roadway, making it levitate with the power of his own bracelets, glowing red like his Ishvalan eyes.

"Shit, he's coming on fast!" Riza raised her left hand, aiming it at the dark-skinned man. She made a fist and out of the bracelet's rim came a blue blast of energy. Three times she shot, the blasts scraping the bottom of the chunk of pavement, hoping to knock him off balance.

"I see him now!" Roy started to aim, at the same time Scar raised his arms out in front of him in a movement Riza recognized. She kicked Roy's feet out from under him and pushed him of the ledge.

In the next second Scar ripped through the building where Roy had been standing. The blast set Riza flying out of the building. She flipped through the air, but managed to right herself enough to shoot out a net. It attached itself between the edge of their apartment and a rail from the tram, catching the two of them.

Scar was already on them, leaping from the hole he made in the apartment, his bracelets recharged and glowing. Roy and Riza rolled out of the way in opposite directions, landing on the roadway below them, as Scar tore through the net and landed between them.

Roy sprayed Scar with fire the instant he hit the pavement. Yet Scar was quick and sidestepped the flames, running at him. Riza shot him in the back of the leg, tripping him up in time for Roy to flip down to a roadway that crossed just below.

Scar turned towards Riza and slammed his right hand into the ground. The roadway crumbled around them and the red light went out of the right bracelet.

From below, a vortex of flames shot out around Scar. Roy had him, there was no way he could get out of it without being seriously hurt. Through the rubble and the flame, Riza could see Scar falling into Roy's trap. _Wait a minute…_ Scar grabbed onto a piece of rubble, stabilized it, and used it to swing out through the wall of fire.

He hit the ground, flesh burning, at the same time she did and rolled forward to extinguish the flames. He came to his feet, starting after her. Riza struggled to her feet, only to duck out of the way of his hand. She knocked his feet out from under him and rolled to the side, giving space for Roy to dose Scar in a stream of fire.

Scar hit the ground again, destroying it and throwing off Roy's aim.

Riza landed on a roof, hitting it hard. Roy made a wobbly landing on a nearby tram rail. He steadied himself and glanced in Riza's direction. She shakily brought herself up on her hands and knees, her eyes were on something behind her. Roy followed them to see Scar coming at her.

"Shit!" Roy leapt from his spot on the rail to the shingled rooftop and started for him. Scar was too close, he couldn't shoot his flames at him for fear of hitting Riza. Scar was on her, Roy was still a few feet away.

Scar raised his arm and slammed it down into Riza's back. Her scream filled Roy's ears. Blood spurted from her mouth as she was forced back into the roof, shingles uprooting.

Roy skidding to a stop between Scar and Riza, anger fueling him. His right fist hit the man's stomach as flames jetted out of the bracelet. The fire weakened and cut through his skin until flames and blood jetted out from Scar's back. A mess of scorched skin and blood splattered across the rooftop.

Scar doubled over, falling on Roy. He shrugged the dead man off and turned to Riza, kneeling at her side. "Are you okay?"

The back of her cloak and shirt were gone, revealing a dented metal plate in her back. Three large screws held the plate in, one at each shoulder and one on the lower right side, just above her hip. It was grotesque the way the deformed skin on her back grew over the plate and around the screws. There was even a spot between the screw in her left shoulder and her spine where the skin had grown over it completely.

"Do I look okay?" Riza muttered. Roy helped her up as she brought herself back up on her hands and knees. She stayed in that position for a while, trying to regain some energy. "Yeah, I can't move," She gasped, hanging her head in exhaustion.

"Do you think-"

"It's not going to bend," Riza snapped, anticipating his question.

"Okay! Geez," Roy carefully picked her up over his shoulder. Riza's hands dangled down near his ankles. "I'll get you to Fullmetal."

"Don't forget Scar's automail, Ed and Winry would kill for that," Riza mumbled.

"Right." Roy bent over Scar's body and carefully ripped the metal devices from his wrists, needles cutting slits in his arm as they slid out. He shook the blood off of them before attaching the bracelets to his belt and took off.

'_Scar/Erased,'_ flashed across the screen of his scouter.

Riza had been really lucky that Scar hadn't expected her back to be made out of metal. His miscalculation saved her life. Regardless, Roy still felt terrible at the sight of her disfigured back.

It had been one of their first missions. Roy had been on one side of the target, Riza was on the other. He had misjudged how much fuel to kick into his flames when he shot the target and accidentally hit her in the process.

Hurting her was one of the many things he would never forgive himself for.

It didn't take long for Fullmetal Automail to come into view. The little shop sat on a platform just off of the intersection where roadway levels four, five and six met. The shop was styled like an small two level home from the last century, it even had a porch and a yard. Roy hurried up the steps and knocked on the wooden front door. He heard the sound of a dog barking and the thumping of feet from inside.

"Hello?" A blond, blue-eyed girl of about sixteen opened the door. A dog with a metal leg bounded up to see who there visitors were.

"Hello Winry," Roy smiled at her as he into the shop. He came to the sofa and laid Riza down.

"Mr. Mustang…" She shut the door and followed him over. "What happened to Riza?"

"Well-"

"It was about time actually," Riza managed to laugh, surprising the other two who thought she had been unconscious. "Now we finally have an excuse to upgrade." She flashed a smile at Winry in hopes of showing her that there was noting to worry about, but her teeth were still covered in her own blood.

Winry sighed. "I suppose it is,"

"Who was at the door-?" A short, blonde boy of sixteen asked, hurrying down the stairs at the end of the room. Upon sight of Roy, he frowned. "What do _you_ want?"

"Your business," Roy snapped, "don't look so glum to see a paying customer."

"I'll look glum if I want-"

"Edward, go get me the Coil-Replacement Automail we made for Riza." Winry him off, already pulling up a stool next to the sofa. "And my tools!"

Ed glared at Roy one more time before heading down the hallway.

"Wow," Winry exclaimed at the sight of the dent in Riza's back.

"It could be worse," Riza mumbled through the sofa cushion.

"That doesn't surprise me." Winry pulled on her gloves and started helping Riza out of her shirt and jacket. "I had just thought that something must have bent the wrong way while you two were having a go at it."

"Winry!" Riza exclaimed, so surprised that she shot up onto her elbows to look her mechanic in the face. Roy, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically at the other end of the room.

"What?" Winry defended, a blush forming on her checks. "It was bound to happen, this piece of junk kept you as stiff as a board!"

Edward came around the corner, carrying a big metal box and a smaller toolbox balancing on top of it. "What was bound to happen?"

"Nothing!" Riza shouted, hiding her face back in the sofa cushion.

"Whatever," Ed muttered. He brought the box over to Winry, setting the toolbox beside it. Winry scooted the toolbox over to her other side with her foot. "Finally we'll be able to get some use out of this thing!" He exclaimed, pulling on rubber gloves. Ed flipped open the large box to reveal that it was filled with water. "Hey Mustang, throw me a towel from that table behind you."

Roy passed him the towel. "So…" He watched as Edward spread the towel out before him. "Where's Alphonse?"

Edward froze, his eyes widened. He blinked and continued to take long metal coils, linked like ribbed chainmail, out from the box onto the towel. "He's sick again," the boy muttered sourly.

"Is he at the hospital?" Riza asked, turning her head to the side so everyone could hear her better.

The room became silent. Finally, Winry sighed. "No, he's in his room."

"Because this Goddamn government I slave my life over won't take him in!" Edward shouted, slamming down the lid to the box. The metallic ring hung in the air. "We wanted to use our Automail to heal people…" Ed seethed. He took a deep breath before muttering bitterly, "'We don't treat that gay man's disease here!'"

He stood up and stalked over to Roy, pushing a chair in his direction. "Here, you probably need a refueling." Roy sat down, his eyes following Edward as he moved out of the room muttering, "'Gay man's disease' my ass! That's what our mother died from! He was born with it!"

Winry whispered softly as she unscrewed the screws in Riza's back, "He's not going to last much longer. Al's accepted that…" Her eyes glanced to the door Edward had disappeared behind. "…Edward hasn't."

Ed stormed back into the room with a flask of dark liquid, still muttering. "It's our stupid father's fault." He rested the flask on the table behind Roy. "Wrist please," Ed murmured. Roy moved his right arm so that the boy could type in a code. "You have free-form nerve connecting on," he reminded Roy as the spike on Roy's shoulder flipped down.

"And what's really funny," Ed spoke louder now as he took the flask and began pouring the liquid into the open pocket in Roy's shoulder, "is that they treated it when that bastard Kimblee had it! And then he went rouge anyway!" He slammed the shoulder spike back into place.

"No offense Mr. Mustang," Winry spoke softly, such stark contrast to Edwards harsh tone, "but The Amesterian government pours a lot of time and money into you Erasers, and it's not exactly fair."

Roy didn't take any offense, he knew it was true. For instance, Riza had been given that terrible replacement back about eight years ago. Even though Winry and Edward offered to upgrade her to their own, better, design, the big man on top wouldn't allow it. Supporters were replaceable. She didn't need a new model. Though when Roy injured his side, the best material was put in place within seconds.

The government was never fair. Take Winry and Edward's business for example, they had came to the city to use their automail in hospitals but once the government heard about their skill, they forced them to become the official automail outfitters for Erasers.

Even Roy and Riza's situation wasn't anything they asked for. Roy was taken as a baby and raised to be an Eraser. All he had ever known was how to kill until he met Riza in the war. And now that he wanted something more in life, they wouldn't grant it.

Roy laughed, "it's like yeah, what are they trying so hard to cover up?"

Riza gave him a warning glance. Things like that shouldn't be said out loud.

Winry motioned Edward over and the two carefully yanked the metal slate out of Riza's back. Then, they quickly began threading in the metal coils.

Roy turned away from them at the sound of feet pattering across the floor. "Oh…It's nice to see you Mustang." Alphonse stood on shaky, malnourished-looking legs, resting a weak hand on the dog's back for support. The poor boy, he looked as if he hadn't eaten in a weeks.

"Oh, Alphonse!" Roy didn't know what to say and so he said the worst. "I hear that you're feeling ill?"

"Yeah, um…"

"Ah, well…We're finally replacing Riza's back," Roy motioned over to the sofa, changing the subject.

"That's good." Alphonse dragged a dinning chair over to sit next to Roy. They sat in silence for a while, watching Ed and Winry at work. "You are a good man, Mustang." The boy whispered, just loud enough for Roy to hear. He smiled, watching the two as if in a daze. "You will watch over my big brother when I'm gone, right? You know how much of a trouble maker he is."

Roy was always surprised by the young boy's maturity. He was only thirteen years old. He was far too young to bear this burden. "You are very brave, Alphonse." Even a little boy could accept his own tragic fate, so why couldn't he? "Much braver than me." Alphonse didn't have any choice in the matter, Roy could at least try. Wouldn't it be better to try and fail, rather than continuing to live in this Hell?

"You were able to change yourself, not many can do that." Alphonse paused to stifle a cough. "I'd say you're plenty brave."

Roy shook his head in disbelief. A child. This, poor child on the brink of death was teaching him to live. "You're a good man, Alphonse."

Roy watched as Edward pushed the last piece in place.

"I'll watch over him, I promise."

* * *

><p>Alphonse's funeral was held at a small cemetery. A beautiful place, a small isolated field in the middle of the large city. A little patch of soil in a world of stone and metal, so out of place, and yet it fit.<p>

Not many people came, the boy only knew a few.

Roy watched Edward stare bitterly at the coffin as men tossed dirt over it. From across the hole he could see the rage and despair flare within him. The boy would not keep silent.

* * *

><p>Riza was there when it happened. Like any normal day, she was traveling between the General's office to meet Roy at the gates with their daily assignment. She heard shouts coming from the direction of the Fuhrer's office, and hurried towards them.<p>

"-All I've done for you!" Riza's eyes grew wide as she got closer, recognizing the voice. She broke into a run. "After everything we've had to give up!" She turned the corner to see two men dragging Edward, kicking and screaming, away from the Fuhrer's office. "And you let him die!" He jerked his arm away from one of the officers. "_You fucking monster! You let my brother die!"_

"Edward!" Riza didn't know why she called out to him. She wanted to do something, she wanted to stop it, but there was nothing she could do. Riza had worked in this business long enough to know what would happen. Why, when she could have so much power over a person on a mission, did she have to be so powerless? She called his name in desperation.

He heard her and froze on the spot. He turned, and for a moment their eyes locked. He knew what he was getting himself into.

The officer reached to regain his hold on Edward, but the boy was fast. He ducked out of the second officers hold, turned and punched the first in the face.

In the next second Ed was running, dodging startled officers through the halls.

Riza turned on her heel and shot down a separate corridor. She knew the place better than he did. She could head him off…or tell Roy…or…Her pace slowed. What good would any of that do?

The red light spread across the screen of her scouter.

"_Mission Priority: Erase/Edward Elric."_

* * *

><p>"<em>EraseEdward Elric"_

Roy's heart stopped as the letters streamed across his screen. He turned, as if he were going to march into HQ and demand why, but stopped himself.

"Shit!"

He ran his hand through his hair, trying to think. What was there to think about? "_Shit!" _He kept hesitating, turning from HQ to the gate and back again, debating his options. "Goddamn it!"

People started to stare. To them, he probably looked crazy.

Roy paced between the two spots, heart pounding, cursing. He needed to do something, _anything_, but what could be done?

"Roy!" He stopped his pacing at the sound of Riza's voice. She came running down the front steps towards the gate and skidded to a stop before him. Riza grabbed some loose fabric at his arm for support as she breathlessly tried to speak. "Edward! He…"

An explosion came from behind her. They turned and saw a small figure jetting out of the building on a rocket scooter.

"Damn that kid, why does he have to be so flashy!" Roy watched the scene in disbelief. Riza's grip tightened and he looked his eyes with hers.

Her eyes were wide, surprised, worried, scared.

Maybe they had spent their eight years together, perhaps, waiting for this moment. The moment where they would have to choose themselves over Amestris.

Edward…That boy was far more important than the near certainty of death.

He was family and Goddamn it, Alphonse was too.

In that moment, staring into each other's eyes, they knew.

They would die for that family.

"Winry…!" Roy gasped, "what about her?"

"We'll use her as a hostage to lure Edward out," Riza answered, forming a plan. "He'll probably head to the shop to pick her up once he's though he's lost anyone who might be after him."

"Where do you think he'll go after that?" Roy asked, understanding.

"Another country," Riza glanced east. Xing. Roy nodded.

Riza tapped a button on the side of her scouter. "_Mission/Accepted."_

* * *

><p>Roy waited impatiently, pacing around a small space. Riza watched him, holding an unconscious Winry in her arms. Den paced around their legs. The "kidnapping" went by easily, Winry seemed to understand what was going on and willingly gave herself to them. Even Den came along. They left a note for Edward at the shop saying that they had Winry and the dog held in a remote warehouse at the edge of the city. He should have shown up by now.<p>

He worried that they weren't the only Erasers on this mission. What if he ran into one?

Riza nodded towards the door. Roy glanced up to see the silhouette of the young boy pushing open the door. He stopped pacing, waiting for Edward to see them. "So you finally found us."

Edward's mouth dropped. "You guys?"

Roy and Riza nodded to one another. Simultaneously they reached for their scouters and ripped them off. Roy smashed his under his boot while Riza threw hers to Ed. "Can you hack this?" She whispered.

Edward caught it and immediately began to work. He knew once he saw them what the plan had to be. "Shit," he muttered, "if I knew it was…"

"Can you?"

"That's not it!" Ed hissed. He hit a button before continuing, speaking louder this time. "If I knew it was you guys I wouldn't have set detonators all around this place!"

"You did what!"

Ed tossed the scouter back to Riza, who handed Winry over to Roy. Now that the system was free of the government tracker, she could use it for their own purposes without being followed.

"I didn't know it was you guys!"

Riza took the lead, projecting a hologram map of the city. "I've set up a stealth barrier," She explained as she started out the back door. "How far do we have to be from the blast zone and by what time?"

"I don't know, I stole the explosives from Headquarters," Edward explained, keeping pace with her. "I've never seen that type before."

"What did they look like?" The sun was just setting, casting an eerie orange glow throughout the warehouse district.

"They were really small, grey, a red dot in the middle, I think the symbols on it were TDO-"

"Shit." Roy slung Winry over his shoulder and began ushering the other two forward. "That'll destroy this whole district within exactly five minutes of placement!" Those particular explosives were meant for throwing into an area from aircraft.

Edward broke into a run, Den at his heels. "Then we have one minute!"

"Where's your fancy rocket scooter now!" Roy shouted as he and Riza sprinted after him.

They tore through the open streets, empty as the usually were at this hour. There was no way they could possibly make it out of the district in time. Riza quickly began pounding in the code for a forcefeild. "Down there!" She motioned to a rail before them. The four of them leapt over it, down to the lower level. Hopefully having a concrete barrier above them would help cushion the blow, either that or it would only help crush them when the explosives went off.

With the minute mark almost reached, Roy glanced at Riza. It didn't seem like the field was going to get up in time. All of a sudden the scouter that she was furiously working at glowed red.

"What the-!" Riza's gasp was cut off by an earth-shattering boom. Only Den was able to keep on her feet as the shockwave shook the pavement. She braced herself for the impact, yet nothing came.

Slowly, the rumbling came to a stop.

Roy sat up. "I thought you said it was a TDO."

"No, it was a TDOP," Ed corrected as he brought himself to his feet.

"A prototype!" Roy laughed, "Thank whatever's out there, right Riza?" He turned to her, but she was still on the ground. "Riza?"

Riza lay on the ground clutching her right arm, blood pouring from it. "The scouter must have had a defense mechanism," she muttered, "the thing turned into a little robot…thing and attacked me!" Despite the wound she hurried to her feet, already motioning for the others to continue on. "By now, word must have gotten back to Headquarters that we deserted."

That meant that any Eraser in the area were to track them down immediately. No more words were needed to be said.

The four ran through the edge of the city. Now that they didn't have a map, the only thing that kept them in the right direction was the setting sun.

Riza always kept her eyes moving. They were out in the open now, and an enemy could attack at any moment. Yet the city stayed strangely quiet, the only sounds were that of their feet hitting the pavement and their breaths.

After what felt like forever, they finally came to the east exit from the city. The road and joined railway stretched on a single path far above them. Before them stood a forest of large trees, the maze of foliage making the perfect way to escape.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice came from behind. It was high pitched, that of a child.

Riza knew that voice. She nodded to Roy who took that as a sign to hand Winry over to Edward. _He_ was one of the things the government tried so desperately to keep hidden.

"You do know the price of betrayal by now, don't you?"

"Go," Roy murmured to Edward, giving him a little push. There could be no running or hiding from this _thing_, the only thing that could be done was fight.

"Are you sure?" Edward whispered.

As response the two smiled at him. "We'll meet up with you, promise."

The boy nodded slowly. He turned, hesitating before running into the mess of trees. _It _wouldn't go after him, the creature only wanted blood, it didn't have to be his.

Roy gave Riza's hand a squeeze.

Needles retracted from their automail and drove their way into their skin.

The two turned to face the small boy. Purple eyes gleamed as they opened in the shadows. White grins shinning in the fading light.

Roy glanced at her and they nodded. Her weak smile and his soft eyes would be the last good look they had of that family they would die to protect.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: This was doen for a contest on DA :D Well, I hope it came out as epic as it originally appeared to be when I thought it up. For years now I've been wanting to do a sci-fi Royai...and it's not so Royai, but whatever :/ Also there are a couple of inconsistancies and things that I went without explaining, but I felt those weren't too important and would be a hassle to explain.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D


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